1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a lock pin for mounting a board-mount type connector on a board such as a printed circuit board.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, a method of mounting a board-mount type connector on a board such as a printed circuit board employs as a simple method instead of a screw clamping method a method of press-fitting a lock pin exemplified as shown in FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings into a mounting opening such as a screw clamping opening of a board. As shown in FIG. 4, the conventional lock pin 10 has an engaging peripheral groove 13 formed between an upper peripheral projection 11 and an engaging peripheral projection 12, and further a pair of legs 14 spaced to extend longitudinally downwardly. The legs 14 respectively have at the lower ends engaging projections 15. The lock pin 10 is press-fitted into a lock pin mounting opening 2 formed at an insulating housing member 1 of one member of a board-mount type connector such as, for example, injection molded. In other words, when the pin 10 is inserted from the upper surface side of the housing member 1 into the opening 2 in such a manner that the legs 14 is directed ahead, the peripheral 12 is pressed-fitted into the opening 2, and when the pin 10 is further inserted into the opening 2, the lower peripheral surface of the upper peripheral projection 11 is contacted with the upper surface of the shoulder 3 of the opening 2. Thus, the lock pin 10 is press-fitted fixedly to the housing member 1. At this time, the legs 14 are projected from the lower surface side of the housing member 1 over a considerable length. When the legs 14 thus projected are inserted into corresponding lock pin inserting openings of the board to be mounted with the board-mount type connector, the projections 15 of the legs 14 are elastically engaged with the peripheries of the lock pin inserting openings. Thus, the connector is mounted fixedly on the board.
When the board-mount type connector has a relatively large size and the thickness T.sub.1 of the insulating housing member 1 is relatively large, the abovementioned conventional lock pin 10 can provide sufficient size of the engaging peripheral groove 13 and also provide long length L.sub.1 of the legs sufficient to be preferably elastically engaged with the lock pin inserting opening of the opposed board. However, as recent connectors tend to be miniaturized, the thickness of the housing member of the connector is remarkably reduced. When the lock pin is mounted on such thin connector, the construction of the lock pin cannot provide sufficient size of the engaging peripheral groove 13 nor sufficient length L.sub.1 of the legs. Therefore, the conventional lock pin of this type cannot be applied to such a minature connector, and relatively complicated screw clamping method must be employed.
An object of this invention is to provide a lock pin which can eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks and disadvantages of the conventional lock pin and can be applied to a miniature board-mount type connector.